WINONA – Burger King is coming to the Crossroads.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Winona Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting, Mike Knowls with Cambridge Franchise Holdings presented plans for a new Burger King restaurant to be built on the current Huddle House site, located on Highway 82 near the I-55 interchange. According to Knowls, the Huddle House building will be razed, and a new restaurant will be built.
Knowls said construction on the new restaurant is expected to begin in August, with a completion date proposed for November.
“It takes about three months for construction,” Knowls said.
Also in local economic development news, the Empire Truck Sales/Stribling project proposed to be built on the southwest corner of the Interstate 55/Highway 82 intersection moved forward this week as well. Both the Winona Board of Aldermen and the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with the Tax Increment Financing Plan (TIF) and set a date for public hearings for each entity.
A TIF will provide $1.5 million in street, water, and sewer expansion and improvements as well as other improvements to public use areas of the proposed Stribling Equipment dealership and Empire semi-truck dealership.
Tax increment financing allows cities and counties to issue bonds to assist developers in paying for infrastructure improvements needed for construction of a project. The bonds are paid for by future sales and ad valorem tax revenue generated by the new development above what is generated prior to the development.
Currently, the property brings in $480 in ad valorem taxes for Montgomery County and $180.35 in ad valorem taxes for the City of Winona.
Ad valorem taxes projected for Montgomery County equal $79,023 per year, not including the projected $45,000 for school taxes. The City of Winona will collect an estimated $46,000 per year in ad valorem taxes, and it will also receive sales tax estimated in the amount of $105,000 annually on equipment and parts sold at the dealership.
According to Troy Johnston, an attorney with Butler Snow who is assisting the Empire Truck Sales/Stribling project, the city has agreed to allocate 75 percent of future ad valorem taxes and sales tax for the next 10 years to assist the project, and the county has agreed to 75 percent of ad valorem growth for the next 10 years.
Public hearings for the Empire Truck Sales/Stribling TIF will be held on July 1 for Montgomery County and July 2 for the City of Winona.
“This is a reimbursement,” Johnston said. “TIF bonds are sold to reimburse the developer.”
Winona’s aldermen passed their TIF agreement 4-0, behind an Alderman Mickey Austin motion and an Alderwoman Sarah Minnieweather second. Alderman Kelvin Winbush was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
In other city business:
• The board voted to hire Winona attorney Jena Hoover to perform legal services for the HOME grant, which is slowly moving forward.
• The board accepted the resignations of Nick Murphey and Nick Stewart from the Winona Recreational Park.
• Park Director Mike Narmour announced that this weekend, a small “warm-up” tournament will be held at the Winona Recreational Park. On July 4-6, a six and under and eight and under state tournament will be held at the Winona Recreational Park.
• Currently, a bridge is out on North Union Street, and traffic is being detoured down East Gamble to Alice Lane to Greensboro Street.
• The board voted to start condemnation proceedings on 504 Church Street and 516 Church Street.
• Animal Control Officer Arlin Pearson presented suggested changes to the city’s dog ordinance. Pearson said he felt the ordinance should include all animals, not just dogs, and he used the City of Starkville animal ordinance to come up with possible amendments to Winona’s dog ordinance. The board took his suggestions under advisement.
• Winona City Clerk June Williams informed the board that Blue Cross Blue Shield has increased the city’s premium 40 percent this year. AmFirst, who carries the GAP plan for major medical, is increasing premiums 20 percent. Williams said the city’s insurance broker, Mississippi Group Marketing, is currently gathering prices from other health insurance companies.
